Many communication applications use peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols. Exemplary applications include file sharing systems such as the Kazaa and Gnutella systems. Information regarding these systems can be found at www.kazaa.com and wwwgnutella.com, respectively.
Some P2P protocols are proprietary protocols, often defined and operated by content providers. For example, Arvato AG (Gütersloh, Germany) developed a proprietary P2P protocol called GNAB, which is used by Bertelsmann AG (Gütersloh, Germany) for legally distributing media content.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of the embodiments thereof, taken together with the drawings in which: